Nathan Moore / Eddie Prevost / Ray Russell - 2026 - Stacked

(76:32; Cuneiform Records)

These days I am quite used to being sent improvised music to review, but I do think this is the first time I have been sent a session recorded by two guitarists and a drummer, and it is strange to think the drummer is in his eighties and one of the guitarists is catching him up in years as well, as the energy from this recording feels like we are listening to experienced musicians half that age. Over the years I have come across Ray Russell many times from his work in RMS, solo, Mouse, Mo Foster and many more, and these days his works from the early Seventies are being rediscovered for their importance in the live composition and avant garde scene while drummer Prévost has been running free improvisation workshops for more than quarter of a century while Nathan Moore is an electric guitarist informed by improvisation, rock, jazz, and modern classical and electronic music. 

The three of them set up in a studio and just went for it, and this is the result. We are informed that Nathan is on the right channel and Ray on the left, and the three of them just followed their instincts and each other to create something which is jagged, harsh and challenging. While the two guitarists bounce off each other, or sometimes move at distinct tangents, it is all held together by Prévost who is an incredibly busy drummer who definitely views his role as someone driving the music and providing the glue which keeps it all together, but never sits back in the supporting role but instead is there in the faces of the guitarists, challenging them to keep up with him. There is little in the way of pedalboards effects or looping, just twelve amplified strings and some reverb combining with the punishing of a drum kit to create something which is compelling, enthralling, and never safe. This is music on the edge, and I admit the first time I played it I did not like it very much at all, but with all great pieces of art, give it the time and eventually one will see inside. For those who want to hear musicians on the edge who transfer the stress of live composition into an intense listening experience. 

Kev Rowland, July 2026

Links:
http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/